


Little Clara and the Eternity

by Madam_Violet



Series: The Vault Chronicles [6]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, The Vault (Doctor Who), those two are nerdy nerds
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-02
Updated: 2017-12-02
Packaged: 2019-02-09 19:40:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,859
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12895290
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Madam_Violet/pseuds/Madam_Violet
Summary: A small toy given by the Doctor rises many big questions in Missy's head.





	Little Clara and the Eternity

**Author's Note:**

> Another prompt by Meancatoal88. The Doctor and Missy crafting together.  
> If you want to give me a Vault related prompt, I'll be the happiest fanfic writter in the world :) !

Missy tried very hard not to think about it for at least a year, but when the dreaded day finally arrived, she found it was impossible to focus on everything else.

Today was the 50th anniversary of her emprisonment. Fifty years of similar days, regular meals and occasional discussions with her friend turned jailor.

Fifty years of those days of grey artificial light, of morning cartoons, of buzzing radio. All those days of children books, and earth sci fi, and scientific encyclopedies forgotten on the tables only to make her look smarter than the silly child-woman she was. All those days of obeying without a second thought, "go to the contaiment field, Missy", "drop that smile, Missy", "don't say things like this again, Missy", "be a nice girl and say the magic word, Missy."

Today the light was the same, the news on the radio the same, the TV programs the same. The universe didn't mind little miss Missy was locked up for half a century, it didn't mind either she still had nine hundred and fifty years to go yet.

She turned on the TV because it was time for her new favourite show, the one with pretty girls from space, talking cats and nasty aliens.

 

At the same damn hour, the egg one asked her to go in her containment field and opened the door. But he wasn't alone, the Doctor was with him. Today wasn't a Sunday, and the Doctor should be at work. She shrugged, maybe she had finally gone cuckoo and lost track of time.

"Hello, Missy. I'm aware today is a little bit special so I told them my uncle Malcolm Mac Cullen from Glasgow died and I couldn't miss the funeral."

Missy frowned theatrically.

"A special day ? What do you mean, Doctor. Today is the normalest normal day ever."

The Doctor sighted.

"You know what I mean. I know it's not something to celebrate, at least in the traditional sense of the way, but it's still an anniversary."

Missy lowered her gaze and sat down on her armchair, fiddling with her fingers.

"I tried very hard not to think about it, and you come here and throw me the news at the face. Stupid, cruel Doctor !"

 

The Doctor dismissed Nardole and walked toward Missy, deactivating the forcefield. He looked genuinly sorry, and just for that reason Missy wanted to annoy him as much as possible. Suddenly, she noticed the wierd little device hanging at his neck.

 

"What's that thingy you're wearing ?"

The Doctor's eyes lit up and a stupid smile came accross his so stupid face.

"We're in the 90's, Missy. Don't tell me you never saw those before ?"

"I hate the 90's. Nothing happens in the 90's. I've always skipped the 90's..."

"It's called a Tamagotchi" cut the Doctor."It's a virtual pet."

"A virtual pet ?" she scoffed. "You don't already have enough pets to care for, like a hundred students, a stupid robot butler and most important, a beautiful, adorable and so clever mad woman in your basement ?"

"I'm not responsible of my students behaviour outside of the classroom, It's the way around with Nardole and he takes care of me and you're not my pet."

 

Missy tried to spend the next hour keeping her eyes away from the plastic device ostentatiously displayed on the awful glittery jumper the Doctor was wearing. She finally let it down and grapped it in her hand.

"Want to see?" asked the Doctor.

He took it off and gave it to Missy. She went next the window for better light and observed the screen with mild interest.

"It's just a blob of pixels. Is it alive ?"

"It's only a baby. And what do you mean by alive?"

"Aww, she's hungry. You called her Clara ? Why ?"

"I have no idea. It's a pretty name, Clara."

Missy figured out by herself the right buttons combinations dispite never using this type of device before. Typical Master. A few minutes of silence and bipping.

"She's better now. She wanted to play. I guess she was bored."

 

The Doctor smiled and let Missy play a moment. His plan was working well. If he had offered the Tamagotchi to Missy, she would have find it stupid, and would have accused him of trying to trick her to become responsible again. By making believe the device was him, he created envy and made it interesting. He felt proud of his parenting skills.

 

"I think she likes me" gushed Missy.

"I can give her to you, if you want."

"I wasn't going to give her back to you anyway."

 

After a few hours of tea, morning TV and occaionnal chatters, Missy heard a melodic bipping sound.

"Oh, little Clara grew up. Looks like she regenerated."

The Doctor laughted at the comment.

"It's boring, there are only two games. And she can't even go out."

"I can do a quick trip in the future and find you a better version if you want."

Missy's eyes went wider.

"And I abandon little Clara ? Never, she's mine ! She's my tiny little baby girl !" squealed Missy with a wierd high pitched voice.

The Doctor laughted, half alarmed she might think the Tamagotchi was actually alive.

 

A few days later, Clara had grown up as a beautiful Mimitchi. The Doctor was quite proud, since after a few runs he never managed to get the best evolution. For whatever reason, girls were more difficult to raise. Missy, however, seemed pretty sad.

"What's wrong, Missy ?" asked the Doctor.

"I'm sad for Clara. According to the growing speed, I suppose those creatures have a short lifespan."

"Sorry not to have mentionned it before. They indeed have a short lifespan. The longest I could keep one was one month. But you can marry her and have a new little baby."

"No, I want to keep my little Clara. She's so cute and clever."

The Doctor briefly wondered how a fifteen pixels tall cartoon rabbit could be clever. However, he was growing concerned of Missy's reaction when it would die. Giving her an emotionnal shock and making her realising what death meant was part of the plan, but he didn't want to be cruel.

"You could trick the clock and make her live forever" said the Doctor.

"Little Clara would live forever freezed in this cute forme ?"

That sentenced gave the creeps to the Doctor, and he couldn't even say why.

"The saddest part would be she would be stuck in there forever. It's sad to be stuck in a blank screen with only a few games and toys. I play with her all the times, but otherwise she's all alone. It's probably better if she only lives for one month."

The Doctor noticed Missy was almost crying. He never thought a simple children toy would cause so many emotions. He kissed Missy on the forehead, as he always did when he was proud of her and left the Vault.

 

A few hours later, he was back with a tool box. Missy was still crying, curled on her bed with the little purple plasic egg in her hand.

 

"Come over here, Missy. I have an idea."

 

Missy got up and walked towards the Doctor, still clinging to the small toy.

"Your Tamagotchi is only basic tech. I'm certain we can hack it and give little Clara plenty of toys, and places to go, and even Tamagotchi friends to play with".

"And we can make her live forever ?"

"Not forever, forever doesn't exist, but long enough so she keeps you company until you go out."

Missy smiled like a child while the Doctor put all his tools on the table. Lots of electronic bits. She hadn't seen any electronic bits for half a century. When he took a small scredriver to open the shell, Missy cringed.

"Wait ! What if Clara desapeared ! We need to save her somewhere before doing something stupid !"

"I'll reprogram her, don't worry."

"But she won't be Clara anymore, just another pixel bunny that looks like her. I want my Clara."

The Doctor felt embarrassed to admit the creature wasn't actually alive, but he didn't say anything. Missy could be so innocent and gullible.

"I can save her on my sonic glasses. Look, she will even be in augmented reality."

Saying that, he scanned the device. Gone was little Clara, even leaving a small note on the screen. Missy smiled and put the glasses on, waving at the little pixel bunny in front of her.

"Hey, look at this pretty electronic board. What do you want to do with it ?"

Missy put the glasses on the table and smiled like a little girl on Christmas morning.

"A swimming pool, a theme park and a pony. No, a unicorn !"

"We'll do anything you want. This is going to be the biggest on the inside 90's Tamagotchi ever created."

"I want to redecorate her room too. We could add more layers of screen so they would be shades of grey."

"Or put a color screen ?"

"No, I prefer black and white."

 

Missy made plenty of suggestions and the Doctor followed. It wasn't without reminding them the creation of Missy's home in the Vault fifty years ago, when they had turned a blank quantum fold into a nice living space. Except this time there was no limit. Missy would from time to time check on little Clara with the sonic and tell her all she was doing. Since she couldn't answer, the Doctor suggest to develop a program to allow her to talk using morse code. Missy was delighted not to have to read on her small face. The Doctor even allowed her to do some weldings under careful supervision. He felt like in those very early technology classes as a Time Tot, learning how to assemble basic electronics.

 

Finally, when Clara's home was ready, Missy gushed over the result.

"I wish the shell was black and gold."

So the Doctor bought plastic friendly paint and Missy finished her creation. When everything was over, they reuploaded the little creature inside.

 

"Thank you, Doctor !"

"Missy, reassure me, you don't actually think this toy is alive" he finally asked.

Missy bursted out of laughing.

"I'm not an idiot. No basic human tech of this time could download a living conscience ! But I don't mind, because she's mine and I don't want to lose her, even for a similar one. You know what I mean ?"

"Yes, Missy, I know well. Another little Clara with the same face wouldn't be Clara anymore. How can you be so good when it comes to small triffles and so evil with things that matter ?"

Missy shrudder.

"Probably because little triffles don't commit me too much. It's frightening to care."

 

This time, the smile on the Doctor's face would have lit the darkest interstellar zone like a supernova. He crossed the table to hug her, and she melted into the embrace. She was really in heaven, she would have been stupid to wish those days were over.

 

 

Bonus : Sue White and her baby jelly bean. To help you visualise Missy and her Tamagotchi.

 <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Mqjo9qbx6I>

**Author's Note:**

> In the train, a little girl was curious about my Tamagotchi. I showed it to her and she asked me with a very puzzeled look if it was alive. I can't believe children born with an smart phone in the hand are still so easily marvelled by basic tech ^^.


End file.
